The Case of the Missing Sandwich Bags
by Midoriko's NeverEnding Spirit
Summary: Tired of the constant failures of his minions, Naraku sets out on a quest to find a way to defeat the inugumi once and for all without fail. However, along the way, he gets distracted by something much more...unusual...
1. Failure and a New Evil Scheme

**Authors' Notes:** Hey you guys! This is the first installment of the very first story Valese and LadySword04 are writing together! I wrote this chapter and Valese was kind enough to edit and comment on it. Let us know what you think of our very first joint effort! We would love to hear from you! 

**Disclaimer: **Even though we detest having to admit it, Valese and LadySword04 do NOT own Inuyasha or any characters affiliated with the series. (Both of us would LOVE to have Sesshoumaru though!)

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The Case of the Missing Sandwich Bags** **

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Chapter One: Failure and A New Evil Scheme **

A startled shriek broke the silence of the night. Outside, crows took flight and other nocturnal creatures hastily departed for fear that whatever was inside the dwelling would come out and devour them.

The simple yet elegant ancient Japanese compound was dark, save for one room. Inside, a few candles, as well as a hanyou's temper, burned brightly.

"Impudent WENCH!" Naraku yelled at a sorceress. The sound of a wooden doll being broken and then thrown into a distant wall could be heard. The objects connected with the unforgiving floor and rolled over to where the witch was kneeling. Naraku's red eyes pinned her to the spot.

"I thought you told me you could kill the girl and her hanyou companion. The plan was idiot-proof and yet you couldn't even accomplish such a menial task! I was told you were the best in all of Japan! Now you shall pay for your ineptness with your life!" His eyes flashed and a strange wind picked up in the room, which blew out the candles and ruffled both clothes and hair.

Just as Naraku was transforming his arm into a few tentacles, the witch pleaded, "Milord! Please I beg of you! I did exactly as you commanded! The girl's spirit was too strong and her friends were able to see past my illusions. I didn't have time to implant the jewels in that girl's shoulder because Inuyasha and his blasted sword were able to cut through our barrier. That allowed all three to enter and both the houshi and the taijiya were going to kill me as the hanyou went to his friend. I had no choice but to retreat lest I lose possession of the jewel shards you gave me. It's not entirely fair to blame me completely for the failure! I should be allowed to leave and go about my business. I have things to do, people to curse, and money to make."

"You won't have to worry about any of those things anymore. You seem to have forgotten our agreement. Let me restate our bargain for you. If you succeeded, then you would get my share of the jewels. If you failed, as you clearly have, you agreed to allow me to absorb both you and your powers. It's time to pay your dues and hold up your end of the deal."

With that said, Naraku finished transforming his arm and wrapped a few tentacles that closed in around her like boa constrictors. The witch's ice blue eyes told of her horror and her mouth was agape; clearly her ability to speak let alone scream was lost to her. Naraku breathed in the scent of her fear and laughed, thoroughly enjoying himself. However, so caught up in his delight was he that he failed to see an important change in the demeanor of the sorceress.

A few more tears trickled down her face before a twisted smile replaced her feigned terror as Naraku fully absorbed her into himself and took on her powers. Little did he realize that in a few hours he would have to allow her to escape or risk his life.

From within his body, the witch was able to cast a spell rendering Naraku powerless. 'He only thinks he runs the show. I shall turn him into nothing more than a mere human for his treachery. He set me up to fail. Naraku knew the barrier wouldn't hold. He may be laughing now, but in all reality, I will get the last laugh! I'll show him no-one blames and punishes me for his failure! Then, once he's in human form, I can escape and go about my business. But, before all of this, I shall kill him and get those shards for myself.'

In the meantime, Kagome and company were settling down for the night. Today had been especially rough as they battled a tiger youkai with six shards; one embedded in each limb and two more he had ingested. Inuyasha was wounded badly enough to request being brought to Kaede's for treatment, and both Kagome and Sango sustained various cuts. Miroku didn't escape unscathed either. However, Shippo and Kirara fared much better, managing to avoid getting wounded at all.

Wounds had been treated, places to sleep prepared, dinner eaten, and evening wishes of a good night to each other had been exchanged. All fell into a deep sleep rather easily and quickly, save for Inuyasha who wanted to keep watch as always, despite his injuries. Eventually though, he too joined his companions in sleep; he was drained from the day's fight and he knew he required sleep in order to heal properly by morning. With an extremely low growl that was below the register of a human ear, Inuyasha got Kirara's attention and requested that she keep watch; she could sleep tomorrow on Sango's shoulder during their journey. Kirara willingly agreed, turned into her larger form, and sat directly in front of the hut's only door.

Thoroughly frustrated at the inability of even the top henchmen to bring down the hanyou and his friends, Naraku decided to take matters into his own hands. 'I shall face them myself this time. No dolls, no useless demons to be sent in my stead. I am going to plan everything myself, and see to it that this time I do not face another failure. I will be patient, take my time in developing this plan and ensure that I will succeed. I must think of a strategy, I require something Inuyasha and his friends cannot defeat and use that against them. Poison wasps will be necessary for that blasted houshi. The neko youkai will have to be restrained, and the kitsune cub scared into hiding. As for the slayer, a few well-placed tentacles should be enough to keep her at bay. The girl on the other hand will not harm any creature she isn't directly threatened by. That just leaves Inuyasha with that undefeatable sword of his. What can't he destroy with it? What can't Kagome kill with her sacred arrows?'

After coming up with the skeleton of his plan, Naraku decided to wait until morning to find out exactly what the weaknesses of his top two concerns were. From there, things would be finalized, and he would be rid of his only rival for jewel shards. If Inuyasha and company were eliminated, Naraku could rule all of Japan and have any wish he wanted when the jewel was completed. Hanyou though he may be, Naraku was still not to be taken lightly, even by other youkai.

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End Notes:** Both Valese and I hope you enjoyed this, being the first chapter of the first story we have written together. Let us know what you think of it! We'd love to hear from you all! 

Til next chapter,

LadySword04 and Valese


	2. The Beginning of an Evil Plot

**Author's Note: **Couldn't resist writing another chapter. Inspiration hit me full force yet again this weekend and I wanted to write something…I was kinda' in a mindset contusive to writing something like this. I hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **Nope, still don't own the series.

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Previously on The Case of The Missing Sandwich Bags: **

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After coming up with the skeleton of his plan, Naraku decided to wait until morning to find out exactly what the weaknesses of his top two concerns were. From there, things would be finalized, and he would be rid of his only rival for jewel shards. If Inuyasha and company were eliminated, Naraku could rule all of Japan and have any wish he wanted when the jewel was completed. Hanyou though he may be, Naraku was still not to be taken lightly, even by other youkai. **

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Chapter Two: The Beginning of An Evil Plot **

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Naraku sat in silence at a low table in the center of his quarters. Surrounded by inkwells, brushes of all sizes, and numerous scrolls, he began meticulously devising his plan on the rice paper. First he wrote out what he needed to take care of all members in the company. Then the trouble started when he tried to focus on an actual plan. His left hand began to pulse, tingle, and turn red. Naraku thought nothing of the problem as the pain was not yet excruciating; only short spurts of **red-hot** heat would shoot up and down his arm from time to time. These pains were only slightly annoying, but they were not anything too serious to worry about. 

He continued writing only to find that his vision was getting blurry and he felt like his head was trapped between the jaws of a jaguar demon which has the ability to exert an incredible amount of pressure per square inchThe pressure continuously mounted until it was so great that his brush slipped from his hand to drop to the table and clatter to the floor. Ink was scattered in blotches and dots where the utensil had dropped and sprayed its ink. He bent to the floor clutching both his head and his chest. The pain was radiating throughout his body as time inched by. Now the pain was beyond comprehension. If he didn't know what sort of pain he put Kagura through when he squeezed her heart, he knew now; something was in there doing the same to him. He was gasping for breath as he fell in a heap on the floor.

At this time, he had a vision of the witch he had just absorbed. She was standing in some dark void, the only light clearly on her. The witch began chanting in a foreign tongue "Balethondion Maltathuleiet Calenost Nilg-" before Naraku interrupted her. Demanding that she cease whatever she was doing, Naraku attempted to stand in the dream world.

"You Shall DIE Naraku for what you have done!" She raged with an icy blue fire blazing in her eyes.

"Quite the contrary witch!" Naraku snarled as he realized where he was and what he had to do. You see, the witch had pulled him inside his own body; he was in astrophysical form. Naraku also found that the witch had somehow managed to stay separate from him when she was absorbed. Onigumo was a part of his body, but the witch was still alive and separate, only trapped in his body like Jepetto in the belly of a whale. She had never fused with him or his powers and Naraku found that she was killing him from the inside out.

However, what he didn't know was that her plan was to first strip him of his demon powers and then turn him into a human. After becoming human, she would control his body and cause him to kill himself after which she would escape with his kakera. Either way he would end up dead.

Fortunately for Naraku, he was a quick thinker. He rationalized that if he separated himself from her, he could keep his powers and kill her. The witch had slipped up earlier in the formulation of the plan with him, informing him that she could not take over Kagome's body directly for as soon as she was separated from the girl, the spell would wear off and she would be too close to the enemy to escape alive. This had been the cause for a reformulation of plans. Now, information that had once been a **hindrance** was quite useful; he was using her information against her.

He quickly cast her out of his body as he once did to create Kagura and Kanna. The sorceress landed with a loud thud on the floor utterly confused and this time petrified in true fear. Naraku was standing over her, back to his normal self, and wielding a sword he had molded from his arm and hand.

"You had the whole situation wrong! I will not be the one to die this night! Say good bye to this world annoying and useless witch!" Naraku thundered before his sword began its descent.

Needless to say, she shrieked once more before she breathed her last. Calling in a servant to clean up the mess, Naraku once again sat at his table to begin looking over what he had written. He was well on his way with a new plot that would work and end the threat of the inu-gumi once and for all. The plan: to observe first and attack with something no member of the group could defeat. This 'something' he would create after finding the information he needed. He would then plan his timing exactly so he had the upper hand.

'Tomorrow is the day I begin looking for weaknesses in that annoying group.' He thought darkly before cracking a sinister smile and blowing his candles out. Dressing in his usual white baboon cloak and light blue mask, he headed out into the night. No creature would dare mess with him tonight, not in the mood he was in at least. Even the first quarter of the moon was hiding behind the protection of clouds, and no creature dared to move as he calmly walked by. His destination was set Kaede's hut. A demon crow had informed him of the group's location, which was a good week's walk away, even for a hanyou like him. No matter really though, he'd just have to run most of the way there.

'At least that tiger youkai accomplished the goals I set for him, and that bird as well. Inuyasha and company are wounded, their location is secure for now, and I can begin my observations from afar.' Naraku thought as he walked down a dimly lit path through the forest.

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Author's End Note:** Trying to be creepy and evil in this chapter was kinda fun! I hope I portrayed Naraku accurately enough. . .let me know if I didn't! I know, the first two chapters really have nothing to do with the story's title, but I promise everything will make sense later. Next chapter, there will be more action with the Inu-gumi. See you next chapter! 

Oh and "Balethondion Maltathuleiet Calenost Nilgliniel" means "You who have betrayed me shall feel my wrath. As of this moment you shall become human!" in the Elfish language.

Read and Review! And look for an update late next month!

Midoriko's Never Ending Spirit


	3. An Evil Draws Near

Konnichiwa, minna! Valese here! It's my turn to write y'all a chapter! Hope it measures up to LadySword04's two great chapters! Enjoy!

**This chapter is being dedicated to our first reviewer, Youkai. Thanks so much!**

**On another note, look for the next chapter to be posted on the 28th of October! It will be out on time I promise!**

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**Chapter Three: An Unexpected Evil Draws Near**

The next morning, a loud screech aroused the Inu-gumi from their slumber. "Wha the hell wassat?" Kagome mumbled sleepily.

Inuyasha's ears flattened to his head; the sound was at a painfully high decibel. He sniffed the air. "It's a bird youkai…and it smells like Naraku." That woke everybody up.

Five minutes later, each member was ready for battle, wide-awake and alert. "Let's go!" cried Sango. They ran off in the direction of the birdcall and, at the edge of Inuyasha's Forest, they encountered a large black crow, twice the size of Inuyasha. This didn't stop the inu-hanyou, however.

"Inuyasha," its banshee voice demanded, "You will die today."

Although his wounds from a previous battle with a demon screamed in agony, Inuyasha crouched and pulled out Tetsusaiga. "That's right, bird-brain! You're the only one that's gonna do the dying today!" He jumped up and slashed the bird across the chest causing it to scream and fall on its back.

The youkai scrambled to its feet, but Inuyasha had disappeared from the bird's line of sight. Its four eyes darted back and forth, glaring angrily in their attempt to locate the inu-hanyou. It stomped its feet and flapped its wings in a tantrum, shrieking "Inuyasha, where are you?" all the while.

The red-clad hanyou leapt out of nowhere onto the bird's back. "Die you scraggly crow!" He stabbed his sword deep into the bird's back. It cried out louder than ever and fell forward, its eyes rolling into the back of its head. But not before it whipped its wings up, throwing Inuyasha up into the air. He fell to the ground with a deep 'thud', the wind knocked out of him. His wounds cried out and his back ached cruelly. The impact combined with from re-opening his wounds caused Inuyasha to lose consciousness for a short span of time; though for Kagome it wasn't short enough.

Kagome dashed over to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha, wake up! Come on, wake up!"

Miroku, Sango, Shippou, and Kilala ran over. "Kagome-sama," Miroku asked softly, "Did the bird youkai have any jewel shards?"

Kagome shook her head, "No, that's why it was so easy for Inuyasha to beat. If he hadn't already been wounded, he would've been just fine."

Sango nodded sadly, "I could have fought it, but Inuyasha jumped right in. I should have taken it on. I'm sorry, Kagome."

"Who cares? I beat it. This is nothing," Inuyasha coughed out weakly, sitting up with some difficulty.

Kagome pushed him down, "Don't, Inuyasha, you'll aggravate your wounds further. We need to get you back to Kaede."

"I'm fine!" he snapped arrogantly.

"No, you're not!" she retorted, "Please, for me, just let us take you back."

He sighed and lay down. Kagome and Sango exchanged curious glances, but said nothing as they lifted him carefully and placed him on Kirara's back. The Inu-gumi ran from the battle scene to Kaede's hut.

"Kaede-baba," Kagome panted, "Inuyasha's been hurt again."

Kaede nodded, "It appears his wounds have opened once more. Bring him here, child." She inspected his wounds and then touched his back. Inuyasha bit back a moan, but no one missed his flinch of pain.

"Ye have managed to tear your sutures from your wounds, consequently allowing them to bleed freely once more. I will have to clean and re-stitch your injuries and re-bandage them as well. Come now and let's get you treated Inuyasha." She quickly mixed together some herbs and water, creating a foul-smelling greenish-grey paste. She gently applied it to his back and spread it evenly across.

Inuyasha stiffened; the mixture was cold and gave him goose-bumps. Its strong, rancid smell floated over to his nose and he sniffed it with distaste. He wrinkled his nose in disgust, "What the hell is that?"

Kagome held back a laugh and Kaede smiled, "It's a mix of herbs that will cleanse and soothe your back. Just stay still for a few minutes."

Inuyasha huffed, annoyed, but looked away without a word as Kaede continued in her ministrations.

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The next day, the sun jumped over the horizon and leapt excitedly into the sky, freeing the lands beneath it fro the dark quiet spell of the night. Inuyasha's demon blood had healed his wounds and his back was just a little sore. He stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air and glad to be free of that awful smell. Kagome stepped out beside him, "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged, "As good as ever. Like I said, that was nothing. I'm not as weak as you humans."

Kagome took a deep breath and said nothing, biting back a retort. Finally, she commented lightly, "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Later that day, Inuyasha came up to where the rest of the Inu-gumi was sitting. "We're leaving. We need to get going."

Sango frowned, "But where?"

"I heard there was a bug demon terrorizing some farmers' fields to the south."

Sango and Miroku nodded, "Alright."

Kagome smiled. "I'm going to pack some late lunch and dinner and then we can leave, ok?"

Inuyasha nodded gruffly, "Alright, but make it quick."

She nodded with a bright smile and set to work.

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Naraku picked his way through the underbrush of Inuyasha Forest. Just under a week's worth of traveling, and he was getting tired. The bottom hem of his cloak was a muddy brown and torn in a couple places. He sighed, annoyed, and trudged on through the mass of tall grasses and small bushes silently. Sounds began to make their way hazily to him, obscured by the numerous trees and vegetation surrounding him. The hanyou stepped over a tangle of roots carefully and started to watch his steps more closely, fearing a fall would give him away. The sunlight filtered through the canopy of leaves, leaving the forest floor shady and cool. Naraku saw the edge of the forest in the distance and prepared himself for the bright sunlight and the warmth of the sun: two things he detested almost as much as Inuyasha.

The edge of the forest came and went and Naraku stepped out cautiously into the sunshine. Surveying the countryside around him, he quickly spotted the village shrine. "Inuyasha, here I come. You best prepare yourself," he muttered victoriously to himself.

He summoned up a mass of power and created a barrier around himself. He smirked. A barrier usually allowed his scent to pass through, but with a barrier so small, he could afford to use enough power to keep even his scent hidden.

Naraku slinked down to the shrine, hiding in what little shadow the trees provided. Once he reached the shrine, he stood in a corner, vying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Finally, he saw a flash of red and focused on it. "Inuyasha," he confirmed. He slid down the steps and to the hut the inu hanyou was headed for. Halfway down, he paused: a tree stood before him and beneath it sat a young girl. "It is the priestess, Kagome," he murmured.

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Inuyasha crept up behind Kagome. "Come on, wench, we need to get going!"

Kagome looked up, "Alright, I'm ready."

She lifted her bag gently and followed him to where Sango, Miroku, and Shippou were waiting.

Behind them, unbeknownst to the pair, Naraku stealthily slithered along, keeping his eyes focused on them.

By the end of the day, the Inu-gumi had traveled far from Kaede's village, still completely oblivious to Naraku's presence.

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Whadja think? Whadja think? Was it good? I hope so! R&R and tell us what you think! Thanks you guys!

--Valese

So glad to see that we got a review from the past two chapters…but I wonder…we have 89 views total on this story…do you guys think we should continue this story? Let us know!

**Replies:**

**Youkai: **Thanks so much for making history by being our first reviewer! hugs Valese and I are soo happy to hear that you enjoyed the first two chapters, and we both look forward to hearing from you again about this chapter! Hope to see you again!

LadySword04 and Valese


	4. The Plot Thickens

**Author's Notes: **Konnichiwa minna! Valese and LadySword04 here with a chapter that is truly a joint effort. Each of us found our inspiration and the time too, and the result was that we Both wrote this chapter! After a few hours of compiling everything, we hope you enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **Pointless as ever…but necessary so no-one gets the idea that we secretly believe WE own the series…even though in real life we don't.

**Warning: **Naraku may be a little out of character…just thought you'd like to know!

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Chapter Four: And The Plot Thickens **

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The morning hours seemed to creep by at an annoyingly slow rate; even the sun took her sweet time climbing into the sky. Unlike the Inu-gumi though, she decided to sleep in a bit more behind the clouds before feeling ready to start the day. When she finally did reveal herself, the group had already been up and on their way for a few hours. 

'This cool morning air sure is nice! I just hope it stays this way all day!' Kagome thought as she stretched while walking.

Her thoughts of a nice cool summer's day were dashed by mid-day. By this time, the sun was beating on everyone's backs and the heat was more than oppressive as the group trudged along.

"Man! It feels like a hundred degrees out here today!" Kagome whined to Sango who nodded as Kirara meowed in agreement. "I think I could stand the heat if it wasn't so humid out today though!"

As expected the hanyou of the group muttered a "Feh!" and some other comments about weak humans that only the two other demons in the group were able to hear. Lucky for him, Kagome didn't hear; if she had an argument would have burst out along with the grand finale of "Sits" and Slams; Lord knows, the world was warm enough today as it was, and the last thing it needed was the help of fuming tempers.

When even Shippo began to complain about the heat, Inuyasha reluctantly agreed to let them stop for awhile to eat lunch. Kagome found a nice shady spot under a large tree and began to unpack what she brought along. She pulled out still-hot plastic and almost translucent bags of rice-balls, chicken, beef, and fish whose warmth filled the bags with condensation. She smiled triumphantly at the group.

" We're in luck! The food's still hot!" She then proceeded to lay out plates and heap a portion of each bag onto each plate. "Lunch is ready!" she called. Everyone arrived in a split second. Kagome laughed, "Guess you're all as hungry as I am." She said with a grin as they all dug in like wolves.

Thanks to Kagome, this meal was one of the best they had eaten in a long time because she had taken the time to help Kaede make some dishes before they left.

Most of the meal passed in silence as everyone enjoyed what they were eating. 'They're all quiet. I guess that means it's good and they like my cooking!" Kagome thought excitedly, though she kept her mouth closed. A few more minutes passed and soon everything was gone.

**Earlier that morning**

Kagome hummed a random tune and picked up the food Kaede have given them and laid it out on the ground around her. Then, one at a time, she picked up a plastic ziplock bag and packed a little food inside it. Then, she pressed the air out and zipped it shut, securing it. One by one, each zip-lock back was filled with some freshly cooked food. Soon, she was surrounded by a ring of bagged rice-balls, roasted fish, seasoned chicken, and sauce-cooked beef. The smells wafted about her and she closed her eyes as she took it all in contentedly. Finally, each bag had been filled and all the food had been packed. The bags were now steamy from the hot condensation trapped inside. She picked each up carefully and tenderly placed them in her big yellow bag, being careful not to crush any of the food.

Naraku watched curiously. He had never seen anything like it. She was putting the food into bags, but the bags were…different. They were transparent and didn't become wet from the condensation or sticky from the sauce. He marveled at the way she could pick each up and place them anywhere, and nothing would become messy. Her hands remained clean and they had a strange tie at the top. She just slid her fingers across it and it magically closed. "It's her miko powers," he murmured, awed. "She is truly a powerful miko."

And after watching Kagome unpack lunch, Naraku couldn't help but wonder, '_How is it that the food remained hot?_ _How is it I have never heard of or seen these magic miko bags before?'_ Curiosity winning the better of him, he decided to follow Kagome and her 'magic bags' for the rest of the day.

**Return to present**

After lunch, the group cleaned up and began their journey for shards yet again. Unfortunately, Kagome didn't sense a single shard for the remainder of the day. This was unfortunate as the lack of battle further stoked the fires of Inuyasha's rising temper. Inactivity was everyone's enemy and an irked hanyou on a short leash was no fun to travel with.

The sun parted company with the land of Japan for the evening, handing her reins over to her sister, the moon, for her share of time in the sky. This was when Inuyasha finally agreed to let the group stop and sleep for the night.

With a grateful sigh, Kagome and Sango set up camp and prepared a small meal of ramen and dried fruits from Kagome's time. After eating the girls headed to the hot springs nearby to take a quick bath and relax for a short time in the absence of a temperamental hanyou.

After a good soak, the girls returned to camp and luckily without incident. Kagome spread out her sleeping bag and crawled inside of it with Shippo at her side. Sango and a larger sized Kirara curled up on some soft grass and leaves while Miroku propped himself up against a tree. Inuyasha had found a branch to his liking and he too settled in for the night.

After the group exchanged "goodnights," they quickly were pulled into the land of dreams within minutes; all except for Inuyasha who was used to staying awake and alert for any potential threats. As expected, his wakefulness was not necessary as the night passed uneventfully as it had for the past few weeks now.

**Meanwhile with Naraku**

Still unbeknownst to the group, Naraku had been following them all day observing their habits and, where he was concerned, pointless banter and odd silences. 'This certainly was a wasted day, there is nothing that will help this plan of mine! Here come the two girls of the group…this looks promising indeed. Now would be a perfect time to attack them, but in doing so I would disclose my location, something I can ill afford to do. Hopefully I will learn something tomorrow or the next day that I can build on for later.' He smirked darkly.

This thought, Naraku crept off a few hundred yards for good measure before he found a suitable hiding place for the night. Little did he know that his presence would actually keep other demons (with a knowledge of the special ki that a barrier like his would give off) away, thereby protecting his enemy that night and the remainder of those he would be observing. However, no one would be protecting him from his dreams. Even though he intended to rest, tonight Naraku would be plagued by strange dreams and find himself awoken numerous times during the night.

Naraku feel asleep behind a tree near the inu-gumi. All he could think about were those bags. They had essentially driven all thoughts of his original plan out of his mind. His new priority rode on into his dreams.

**(Dream)**

**It was dark all around. Naraku looked around in curiosity. Suddenly, he heard movement around him. He could just make out Kagome's sandwich bags dancing about in a circle. A spotlight shone down on the circle. Naraku suddenly found himself in the center of the circle. He looked around, and on every side, he was surrounded by the plastic bags. Instead of being frightened or confused, Naraku suddenly felt his belly fill with a great desire. **

**He _wanted_ those bags! **

**They looked so useful and powerful; they could be his, but they were just out of reach! He growled and swiped out to grab out, but it danced out of his reach. _Stupid bag…_ He swiped again, timing it carefully as the bag danced tantalizingly into his reach, but it escaped him again. **

**_I'll get it this time. Nothing escapes Naraku! Mwahaha!_ **

**He swiped more furiously this time, but could not touch a single bag, let alone catch one. Their smiles and joyous laughter as they danced only added to his raging temper. He snarled angrily and began madly charging randomly at the bags. He couldn't reach even one. Finally, he gave up and sat down, exhausted. **

**_I must have those bags!_ He promised himself determinedly. His desire for them was only fueled by their distance. The bags began to close in on him, and he grinned as they came in his reach. He extended his hand, but was surprised to find that no matter how close the bags came, he could not touch them! They danced in closer and closer until the ring was on top of him…**

**(End dream)**

Now Naraku may not fear any enemy that had a physical form, but the dreams he had been having this night were scary enough for him to consider calling them nightmares. They were just so nice, some of the earlier dreams had the bags with smiles on their plastic parts, and the singing and dancing were absolutely something out of a horror flick gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Naraku woke up suddenly, his eyes blazing. "Blasted dreams! But those bags will not escape me!" he vowed aloud to himself.

**Return to the hot-springs**

Needless to say, the girls returned to camp without incident. Kagome spread out her sleeping bag and crawled inside of it with Shippo at her side. Sango and a larger sized Kirara curled up on some soft grass and leaves while Miroku propped himself up against a tree. Inuyasha had found a branch to his liking and he too settled in for the night.

After the group exchanged "goodnights," they quickly were pulled into the land of dreams within minutes; all except for Inuyasha who was used to staying awake and alert for any potential threats. As expected, his wakefulness was not necessary as the night passed uneventfully as it had for the past few weeks now.

Morning light quickly spread over the land the next morning and was not effective at waking the exhausted group. Several times the sun tried to summon them from their slumber, even pulling the trick of hiding behind a cloud before peeking out with a strong beam of light in a teasingly playful game of peek-a-boo. Giving up, she climbed into the sky and changed her canvas into shades of light and dark blue.

Kagome was the first to rise, other than Inuyasha that is,(even though Inuyasha was up; it doesn't count as he was awake all night!), and Inuyasha watched amusedly as she let out a loud yawn and stretched. He continued to watch her movements from across their makeshift fire pit as she went about making breakfast.

"About time you got up," he remarked.

"Well sor-ry if I happen to want to sleep in a bit longer than normal after one of your longer than normal walking days." She fired back.

Their argument woke the kitsune of the group who stated while rubbing his little eyes, "Great, they just wake up and already they're fighting! I'm going to wake Kirara. At least we don't fight like they do!"

With that he quickly went over to Kirara and played with one of her tails. Sango and her demon cat were up shortly after that and the four of them made a quick breakfast as well; Miroku could sleep in today for a bit longer as Sango wanted the most possible "hentai-free" time she could get.

Breakfast was quickly prepared, served, and eaten, and the group cleaned up extremely fast this morning; with good reason too. Halfway through the clean-up Kagome got a strange tingly feeling on the edges of her senses that could mean only one thing. . .a jewel kakera was within range!

'Better not say anything until we get finished. I am not leaving anything behind. That's all I need, having some archaeologist finding a wrapper or ramen cup five-hundred years from now and wondering how it got there, especially if it has the date on it!' Kagome thought.

"Let's get going already! The sun's already up!" Inuyasha huffed.

"I know, I know! I just have to do something before we go ok?" And without waiting for a question of exactly what she was doing or even where she was going, she was off like a shot.

She stood up and, without a word, left with her yellow back pack filled with the plastic bags, for the stream. When she got there, she opened her bag and knelt by the river with the now-empty plastic bags. She heard somebody approach her and turned around o find Sango.

"Hey, Sango."

"What are you doing?" her friend asked curiously while pointing to the plastic bags.

"Well, I figured I might as well reuse them."

"But why are you washing them?"

"Oh, because I don't want them to make the stuff in my bag dirty."

"I see. Would you like some help?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you. There aren't too many I need to do."

"Alright, if you're sure. Can I watch, though?"

"Sure." Sango sat down and Kagome returned to her task. The schoolgirl picked a bag up and dipped it into the river and wiped it clean with her fingers. She did this to them all until they were all clean and wet. She then picked up each one in turn and dipped it into the water until it was full of water. She then lifted it out of the stream and shook it for a moment.

"Why are you filling them with water and shaking them?"

"What?" Kagome looked up, "Oh. I want to make sure that it doesn't have any holes, because if it does, when I carry soup, it won't leak out."

"Wow! These bags are sugoi! And definitely useful too! I wonder what else you can hold in them?" Sango asked.

"Anything that is small enough to fit in it, and that doesn't have sharp edges. You just have to make sure you don't over fill them. But that's not much of a problem as they come in all different sizes. You can put them in the freezer to keep them cold, you can put hot or cold things in them, you can store toys, drawing utensils, anything that you don't want spilling out. And what's really cool is that you can hold them upside down, submerge them, and lots of other things and nothing inside will come out unless you open the bag." Kagome explained while she dried each bag off with a cloth she brought with her. She then took out the bags that still contained food.

"I don't want the food to get squashed," she explained. Kagome placed the clean bags in her backpack, and then started to place the food on top. It was very full, so the last bag, which held a riceball, was gently stuffed on the very top. Kagome stood up quickly and accidentally knocked the bag over. Luckily, only the top bag with the riceball fell out. Unfortunately, the bag was close enough to the edge of the bank that the plastic bag toppled into the water and began to sink slowly. Kagome waved her hands frantically. "Oh no!" She hopped forward onto her knees and reached out for the bag. When her hands grasped it and pulled it out of the stream, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Clean up accomplished, Kagome put away the bags and left to find the rest of the inu-gumi, Sango right by her side. They found the three boys lounging by the fire pit. When they spotted the two girls, Inuyasha jumped up. "About time! Let's go!"

"Alright, alright, we're coming!" Sango chuckled.

Inuyasha grunted in the affirmative, pleased to get going at last.

**In the mean time with Naraku**

After waking up from the final nightmare, Naraku decided he had better not try to rest again lest he see those horrible bags again. "The sun will be up in a little more than an hour anyway. I can just walk slowly towards their camp and watch again." With that he slipped out from behind his tree and put up his barrier. He followed Kagome to the river and watched from behind a tree as she took out her bags – _The bags!_ – and he then saw she was soon joined by Sango. "W_hat _is_ she doing?" Naraku wondered._

When he heard the explanation, he couldn't help but be amazed. "Interesting. They can hold liquids? And anything else that will fit inside? What power!"

He couldn't stop watching hoping he could hear more about these bags and find out how they worked from the modern day miko. Needless to say he was shocked to see the girl drop the bag into the water, pick it up, and have the contents remain dry. Naraku's eyes widened. He was sure the bag had been completely submerged in water, yet the rice-ball was virtually untouched. It was not wet at all!

His focus was riveted on the little plastic wonder of the twenty-first century. His mind began working as all his mental cogs began turning. _I must find a way to steal those bags from the miko!_ He sat back and thought deeply for a few moments. Nothing came to mind in those seconds, so Naraku decided it give it a day or two. "What am I thinking? I have no need for plastic bags, they are merely a distraction! This is unacceptable! I came here to find out a weakness and create a plan to kill them. Besides, people are easier to search and steal from when they're dead. I will get them, just not immediately." He vowed quietly to himself and the group. He then retired away deep into the forest that lay behind the group.

Naraku, through his haze of thought, realized that the inu-gumi had left and jumped up to follow them. He leapt out of the forest and ran from shadow to shadow, keeping in mind that speed was essential. They had already gained a big lead on the hanyou.

Half an hour of nonstop running later brought the evil hanyou just behind the flying group. _I've caught up to them! Now to follow them._ Now that he had caught them, Naraku was comfortable to just keep a constant speed with them. He sped along, lost in thought once more.

**

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Authors' EnD NoTeS:** We both hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one has already been written and should be posted on the 28th of December! Look for more and we hope to see you guys again! We both hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one has already been written and should be posted on the 28th of December! Look for more and we hope to see you guys again! 

Where are all the reviews? What do you guys think? Hate it, love it? Should we continue…Do you have any suggestions?

Let us know! Valese and I would love to hear from you all!


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